


Frozen

by Sunstar77



Category: Torchwood
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-07
Updated: 2018-03-07
Packaged: 2019-03-28 05:54:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 12,596
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13897698
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sunstar77/pseuds/Sunstar77
Summary: The team must discover the cause of the snowstorm burying Cardiff before it becomes a frozen wasteland.





	1. Prologue

Prologue

_Efail Isaf, Wales_

Geraint Jeffrys ran over the broken ground with practiced ease. His destination appeared in front of him, the old boarded up house on the edge of town. He slipped inside through a loosened board over one of the doors and turned on his torch.

Geraint liked playing in the old house. It seemed to have been suddenly abandoned by its owners many years ago, all their belongings just left behind. He'd found so many cool things to play with, take apart, test out. Yesterday, he'd found an intriguing box, but it'd almost been time for supper and his mam hated it when he arrived late.

Today, though, had been a half day at school and the ten-year-old rushed right to the house after changing out of his uniform. The box waited for him on the floor of what must have been the lounge, just where Geraint had left it the day before.

He sat down on the floor, cross-legged in front of the box and began to examine it. The box felt heavy and well built. He could find no way of opening it and he heard no rattling when he shook it, so Geraint guessed the box might actually be solid.

Turning it on its side, he traced his fingers over the strange geometric symbols carved there. A small flat button caught his attention and he pressed it. The box began emanating a horrible high-pitched whine. Geraint dropped the box and doubled over, his hands clamped over his ears.

Then, as suddenly as it started, the whine stopped. Geraint lifted his hands gingerly and opened his eyes.

The box still rested on the floor in front of him. Geraint pulled it closer and saw the top of the box had disappeared or dissolved or something and he could see inside. A narrow screen ran the horizontal length of the box. More of the geometric symbols ran across the screen. Two bright blue lights blinked on and off rhythmically. Underneath the screen was a series of five square buttons like the one on the front, these outlined in the same blue light.

Geraint traced the buttons with his finger, but didn't press them, remembering what happened the last time. He wished he could read the symbols and wondered if the box was alien. That would be very cool. He could take it into school and show it off to his mates. Colin would love it. Even better, he'd finally have something to show off that was cooler and better than anything Liam ever had. 

His head hurt and his ears were still ringing. Geraint shook his head to clear it of the lingering feeling. He suddenly felt very tired and closed his eyes, laying back to rest for just a few minutes. 

***

When he opened his eyes, the feeble light coming from cracks between the boards over the windows had become fainter and greyer. He stood up and stretched. Glancing at his watch with the torch, he saw it had become late afternoon. More time had passed than he'd expected. His mam would probably be worried. The box continued to blink steadily at him and he gathered it up, holding it to his chest as he climbed back outside. 

The world outside had gone white and cold. Geraint shivered in his light jacket as an arctic wind whirled around him. Snow fell in heavy, wet flakes and everything had already been coated in a thin layer of snow. Looking around, he felt scared and very alone. He wanted his mam. He headed in the direction of his house. The swirling snow limited his sight and he quickly stumbled in the growing slickness. 

The boy stepped in a small hole in the ground and fell, striking his head on a rock buried in the snow. The box fell to the ground, bounced a few times and stopped right side up, blinking steadily, sending out its message.


	2. Chapter 1

_Cardiff, Wales_

The hatch for the invisible lift opened and a mound of snow tumbled into the Hub with a soft thud, drawing cries of annoyance from Owen Harper and Toshiko Sato. Captain Jack Harkness shrugged apologetically as the lift descended.

"Guess we should use the visitors' centre entrance until this storm lets up," he remarked, shaking the snow off his RAF coat as he stepped off the lift. "Speaking of which, Tosh, how's that weather data coming?"

Toshiko looked up from her computer. "I'm not finished yet, but it doesn’t look good, Jack. Cardiff's never seen snow like this before. It's not just the city either. It looks like most of the country has been experiencing snowstorms for the past two days. They've progressed from flurries to full on blizzards."

"No kidding, Tosh. I had to actually dig my car out this morning." Owen slumped in his chair and booted up his computer.

Ianto Jones approached, carrying a tray of mugs. "I'd suggest leaving the Honda here and taking public transport until the snow and ice clears, Owen. You don't have very good traction on slick surfaces."

"Yeah. I sort of discovered that when I almost hit a tree this morning." He sipped his coffee and nodded thanks to Ianto.

Jack looked about, noticing their missing team member. "Where's Gwen?"

Owen smirked. "Shoveling."

"What?"

"We drew straws to see whose turn it was to shovel the path down to the visitor's centre. Gwen lost," he explained.

The cog door rolled open and a snow covered black shape appeared. "You're next, Harper," it growled. Jack could just make out Gwen Cooper's eyes beneath the hat and scarf wrapped around her face. Gwen slowly peeled away the frozen layers, dropping them, to Ianto's obvious dismay, on the floor where she stood. "I reckon about an hour and you'll need to go out." She smiled, red cheeked, at Jack. "How's the city look?"

He shook his head. "Not good. They aren't used to such weather and can't keep up with the snowfall, so streets are a mess."

Gwen took the towel Ianto handed her with a grateful smile and started drying her hair. "Too bad we don't have some alien snow removal device that would just zap the snow away. We could loan it to the city and make a fortune."

Jack laughed. "It would be wrong to exploit the city in their time of need."

"And the one we had was destroyed two years ago," Ianto added, gathering up Gwen’s wet clothes. "Myfanwy tried to eat it." 

Everyone laughed before going back to work. Gwen followed Jack to his office. “Rhys’s said they’ve had to call off most of their deliveries today because the roads are getting too bad.” 

“Tosh should have the weather data by afternoon and we can figure out what the hell is going on with the atmosphere. Tell Rhys he’ll be truckin’ again in no time,” Jack told her with a grin.

Gwen shook her head. “Can’t do that. He already thinks we must control the British government. If he thinks we control the weather too, I’ll never hear the end of it.”

Jack’s computer pinged. He entered a few keystrokes and glanced at the monitor. “Tosh has something.” He motioned for her to go and followed her out of the office. “Toshiko!” he called as they descended the stairs. “Tell me what you’ve got.”

Toshiko swung around in her chair to face them. She gestured to a monitor on her left. "Report coming in. Sixteen car pile-up on the M4. Black ice." Another ping and she turned to a different monitor. "A470 this time. Several smaller accidents. Obviously snow makes some people drive like idiots." She typed something on the keyboard and looked at yet another monitor. "Every major road from here to the Beacons has some sort of issue, accidents or otherwise."

Ianto appeared at the railing of the catwalk. "Cardiff A&E's reporting higher than usual cases of severe hypothermia and frostbite. Also injuries from several minor traffic collisions around the city. They're requesting our help in dealing with the snow crisis."

Owen raised his eyebrows. "Snow crisis?"

Ianto shrugged. "Their words. They want to know if we can spare someone to give assistance."

Jack looked his team over. He could spare Owen for a little while. Before he could say anything, Gwen's mobile rang and he turned his attention to her. 

***

Gwen jumped at the shrill chirping of her mobile. "Hello?" She pressed the phone to her ear. She could feel Jack staring at her back.

PC Andy Davidson's voice sounded harried. _"Gwen, we need your help."_

"Andy, what's wrong?" She saw Jack's ears perk up when she said Andy's name.

_"We got a call about something strange at the Central Market. Turns out to be two of those things you lot're always chasin' about."_ Gwen could hear shouts in the background.

"Is anyone hurt?"

_"One of our officers and a couple of civilians. We've got them cornered by the fishmonger. Get here quick, yeah?"_

Gwen nodded, even though he couldn't see her. "Quick as we can." She hung up and turned to Jack. "Weevils at the Central Market. The police have them cornered, but they've already hurt people."

Jack nodded and shrugged on his coat as Ianto held it out for him. "Tosh, keep working on finding the source of the storm. We need to shut this thing down if we can. Owen, take Ianto's Jeep, go check out the hospital and see what they need. Ianto, with us."

Gwen followed Jack and Ianto down to the SUV. She buckled her seat belt as Jack peeled out of the garage and slid onto the road.

Ianto put a hand on Jack's arm. "Easy, sir. We're not all immortal."

Gwen saw Jack shoot a sad smile at him and glance back at her in the rearview mirror. "Sorry." The SUV's four-wheel drive helped them get to the market without any further incidents. They jumped out, weapons at the ready and went inside.

Andy stood off to one side, waving frantically at them and she pointed him out to Jack. 

He nodded. "Stay alert. We don't know if there are more than two." The trio crossed the open space, carefully moving between the vendor stalls.

"PC Andy!" Jack greeted the officer boisterously, slapping him on the back. "Good to see you're all right."

Andy's mouth tightened and he nodded. Gwen held back a smile. She knew Andy didn't care for Jack. "They're in there." He pointed to a walk-in cooler at the back of one of the butcher's stalls. The door had been secured with a heavy metal pin. "Take care of this one quick, will you? We've got injured who need medical help." 

Jack nodded. "Ianto, Gwen, cover me." He put one hand on the hand of the door and looked back to see if they were ready. Gwen held her gun aimed steadily at the door. Ianto had both his gun and a canister of weevil spray out and nodded. Jack drew his gun, pulled the pin from the door handle and opened the door.

A weevil jumped out at him, snarling. Jack fired once before the weevil knocked him over. Ianto jumped in, grabbing the weevil by the collar and pulling it off Jack. He sprayed it in the face with the weevil repellant and Gwen quickly restrained it with zip ties.

"Take that one to the SUV and sedate it. Gwen and I'll find the other one." Jack told Ianto. Gwen helped Jack to his feet.

Jack handed her Ianto’s dropped weevil spray and retrieved his gun from where it had fallen. "You take left, I'll go right," he whispered. She nodded and followed him into the cooler.

The meat had been torn apart and the floor was slick with scraps and blood. Gwen carefully picked her way through the slippery debris. She held the spray canister in front of her as she rounded one of the shelving units. The aisle was empty and she moved to the next one.

The weevil growled at Gwen from the far end of the aisle. "Jack," Gwen said quietly. She didn’t want to make any sudden moves or noises and startle the alien.

Jack appeared at her shoulder. "Hey there," he called gently to the weevil. "Don't suppose it's worth asking your name?" A low growl came from the weevil. "What's a nice weevil like you doing in a place like this?" Jack laughed at his own joke. "Not interested, huh?" Jack started inching down the aisle, motioning for Gwen to follow. "You going to come quietly or do we have to take you out like your friend back there?"

The weevil lunged forward, but Gwen had been prepared and sprayed the weevil in the eyes. Jack quickly restrained it and Gwen stepped back to let him lead the creature out. She wanted to check on the injured. 

Andy caught her eye when she exited the cooler. Gwen motioned to Jack where she was going and went to join her friend.

"Hey, Andy." She looked about. The paramedics had been let in and were working on the injured.

"We got lucky. This place would've been packed if not for the snow," he said.

Gwen nodded. "The weevils wouldn't have been here if it wasn't snowing. They were looking for shelter." Andy snorted derisively and she ignored him. "Anybody seriously hurt?"

He shook his head. "Mostly cuts and bruises. Charlie's gonna need stitches, but that's the worst of it."

"Good." Jack's voice called her and she looked towards it. He waved impatiently at her from the doorway. Gwen turned back to Andy. "Gotta go. I'll call sometime. We'll go for a pint, yeah?"

Andy nodded noncommittally. "Sure, Gwen."

Gwen wanted to reassure Andy that they would go out like they used to and she wasn’t just blowing him off, but Jack called her name again. Instead, she just smiled at Andy and headed for the exit. The SUV waited at the curb. She climbed into the back, trying to ignore the two weevils sedated on the other side of the Plexiglas divider. As Jack pulled away from the market, she activated her comms and called Toshiko to let her know they were returning with guests.


	3. Chapter 2

Owen burst into Cardiff A&E. Utter chaos had consumed the department as more and more casualties from accidents poured in. He found a doctor who looked like she was in charge and flashed his Torchwood ID. "Dr. Owen Harper. You called for help?"

The frazzled woman looked at him with obvious relief. "Oh, thank goodness. We're swamped. This snow is wreaking havoc on our department."

"What do you want us to do about it?" Owen asked in annoyance. He couldn't see any reason why Torchwood had been called in.

"Grab a chart and start seeing patients." The doctor held out a patient's chart to Owen.

He didn't take it. "Why did you call in Torchwood?"

She looked at him as though he'd grown an extra head. "Did you not hear me? We can't handle the volume of cases."

Owen rolled his eyes. "So call in some extra doctors. This isn't an issue for us," he growled and stomped away, ignoring the doctor's shouts. 

On his way out, he activated his comms. "Jack, there's nothing alien here."

"Just overburdened?"

"Yeah. They just need to call in a few more staff and they'll be fine." He pulled the collar up on his jacket to keep out the snow. He shivered and jogged over to Ianto's Jeep, yanking open the door and sliding inside.

"Are you going to stay?" Jack asked.

Owen leaned his head back against the headrest. He didn't want to. He knew there were things he could be doing back at the Hub, but the doctor part of him that had promised to do no harm told him he should stay. He sighed. "I think I should. They really do need the help."

"All right. I think we can spare you for a bit. We'll call if-" Jack cut off suddenly and Owen could hear shouts in the background. "Hold on, Owen.”

"What's going on?" Owen started up the Jeep. It looked like he wasn't going to be helping out in the A&E after all.

”Tosh found the center of the storm. Get back here. I want you and Gwen to go check it out." 

He put the Jeep in gear, ignoring the twinge of guilt gnawing at his gut and pulled out of the car park. "I'm on my way."

***

Jack stood in the doorway of the holding area. Gwen and Ianto had just put the second Weevil in a cell. The door slid shut and Ianto said something low in Gwen's ear. She laughed, taking his arm. They smiled when they saw him.

"When Owen gets back, we'll meet in the conference room." He stepped into the cells area to let them go up the stairs before him.

Gwen nodded. "Tosh found something?" she asked, turning at the top of the stairs.

"Yup. She's doing a little more research to see if anything else strange comes up in connection with the village." He held out his arm to her and she slipped her free arm into his. "Owen should be back soon. Ianto, why don’t you get some coffee going for everyone? Gwen, let's go get you a heavier coat and some gloves. I think you're going to need something warmer than what you've got now."

Ianto nodded and headed for the kitchen. Jack turned and led her into one of the lower storage areas.

***

When Owen returned, the team met in the conference room. Ianto passed around coffee and they settled in so Tosh could give her report. 

"When the snow first started, I began running the weather patterns. The storm just didn't seem to be acting right to me. I discovered it's centered in a small village called Efail Isaf, here." She put a map of the area on the screen and centered in on the village. "I did some more research to see if any other odd things have happened there recently and I found a missing person's report was filed two days ago on a ten year old boy, Geraint Jeffrys. His mother said he'd probably been playing at an abandoned house on the edge of the village the day the storm started."

Gwen spoke up. "Did the police search the house?"

"Not according to the report. There's no mention of them going anywhere near the house. All it says is that they searched the area as best they could, but the storm's making things difficult." 

"That's odd. I mean, one of the first things they should have done was go to the house," Gwen pointed out.

Tosh continued. "There's also distinctive spikes of alien energy radiating from here." She recentered the map on a spot near the edge of the village. "This storm is no longer just a meteorological event. There's an electromagnetic field building up that's starting to cause interference with communication devices."

"Go see Mrs. Jeffrys," Jack ordered Gwen and Owen. "Get the address of where her son played. Talk to his mates if you have to. This can't be a coincidence. Find that house and I think we'll find what's causing this storm."

Gwen nodded, sliding into her borrowed heavy down jacket. She pushed her chair away from the conference table and stood up. Owen followed her.

"Drive carefully," Jack called after them. Gwen saw Owen wave in acknowledgement as they entered the hallway leading to the garage.


	4. Chapter 3

The normally half-hour drive to Efail Isaf took over an hour. They found the Jeffrys' house easily and Owen parked next to a Vauxhall Astra that had seen better days.

They hurried up the slick walk and Gwen rang the doorbell. After a few moments, she heard movement and the door opened. "Yes?"

"Hello, Mrs. Jeffrys. My name is Gwen Cooper and this is Owen Harper." She flashed her police credentials at Geraint Jeffrys' mum.

The plump nervous looking woman wrung her hands. "You're here about my Geraint? Have you found him?" The hopeful look on her face made Gwen wish she'd had some good news for her. Or any news for her.

She put on her most comforting smile. "I'm sorry, we haven't. We need to ask you a few questions, if that's all right."

Owen cleared his throat behind her. Gwen turned, throwing a look of annoyance his way. He raised his eyes to the snow in obvious irritation. Gwen turned back to Mrs. Jeffrys, smile back in place.

"Would you like to come in?" She stepped back from the door to let them into the house. "I just put the kettle on," she said, leading them back to a warm, cozy kitchen. "How do you take your tea?"

"Just milk," Owen replied.

"Milk and one sugar." Gwen sat on one of the vinyl covered kitchen chairs. "When did you last see your son, Mrs. Jeffrys?" Gwen asked after the woman set down tea and biscuits and sat down.

"Two days ago. He had a half day at school and went out to play as soon as he'd changed out of his uniform." She nibbled on nervously on a pink wafer. "I was so nervous when the storm started and he hadn't come back."

Gwen nodded sympathetically. "Does he play anywhere particular?"

Mrs. Jeffrys waved her hand absently. "There's an old house he likes to explore. Thinks I don't know." She smiled knowingly at Owen. "You know how boys are. Always think their mam's are clueless."

"What about his mates? Anyone he hangs around with?" Owen asked. Gwen noticed him visibly tensing when Mrs. Jeffrys mentioned mothers.

"There's Colin. That's his best mate. And he used to play with Liam, but I don't think he does any longer." Mrs. Jeffrys dropped her head into her hands. They heard her quiet sniffling crying and Gwen put her hand on the woman's shoulder. "I just want my boy back." She looked up at Gwen and Owen. "Please find my boy."

"We'll do everything we can." Gwen reassured her.

Owen leaned forward. "Can you tell us where the house is, Mrs. Jeffrys?"

She sniffled and wiped her tears on a handkerchief. "I'll write out directions for you." Mrs. Jeffrys went out of the kitchen.

"That poor woman," Gwen murmured when Mrs. Jeffrys was out of earshot. Owen glanced at her. He opened his mouth to say something when Mrs. Jeffrys returned clutching a piece of stationary.

"It's not hard to find."

Owen took the paper and nodded officially. "Thanks."

Mrs. Jeffrys threw her arms around Owen, startling him. "Please find him."

Gwen hid a smile on her face as Owen tried to disentangle himself from the woman. "We'll do our best," she reassured her and stepped out the front door.

The storm had not improved while they had been inside. Owen and Gwen dashed to the SUV, eager to be out of the cold and snow.

Owen started the SUV, turned up the heat and punched the address into the GPS. "The kid's probably dead," he stated abruptly. Gwen started at him in shock. "What? It's been a blizzard with sub-arctic temperatures for two days now. If he didn't find shelter some place warm, which is unlikely, the chances of him still being alive are next to nil."

"Do you have to be so callous about it?" She held her cold hands up to the blower.

"It's a callous world, Cooper, in case you hadn't noticed." He put the vehicle in gear and pulled away from the curb.

"All the more reason for you not to be." Gwen knew the sarcasm was Owen's defense mechanism. She didn't know why she continued to try and make him stop.

Owen shrugged and made a left turn. The back of the SUV fishtailed for a moment before the wheels caught the pavement. His hands turned white on the wheel from clutching the wheel. He glanced sidelong at Gwen. "Sorry."

She held tightly to the door handle until he slowed down marginally. "Just get us there in one piece, please."

He slowed down even further. Still, it didn't take long for them to come upon a foreboding looking wrought iron gate. "This must be it." Owen leaned forward against the steering wheel, looking up.

Gwen followed his gaze, brow furrowed. "What must be it? I don't see anything."

He raised an eyebrow at her. "There's a small mansion in front of us, Gwen. How can you not see it?" He waved his hand in the direction of the fence.

She stared out the windshield, concentrating hard. For a moment, a large shape came into focus and then it disappeared, sliding away from her. She shook her head and rubbed her eyes. "There's something there, but I can't focus on it."

"Must be a perception filter. Like the one on the lift." Owen put the SUV in gear and squeezed the SUV through a gap made by the iron gate that hung off its hinges

Now, when Gwen looked up, she saw a house partially hidden behind a wall of snow. She thought it looked as though it might once have been quite posh. Now, however, she could make out that the gardens had grown wild, creeping up the walls. Several of the windows and the front door had been boarded up, but even those were askew and offered passages into the house.

Gwen handed Owen one of the torches and they braced themselves for the snow, which fell noticeably heavier here.

"Looks like Tosh was right. The center of the storm is here," Owen called into the wind. Gwen could hardly hear him, despite standing only a few feet from him.

"Let's get inside," she yelled back. Owen nodded and they trudged through the snow up the driveway. Gwen had her head down, her body curled in on itself. A glance to the side told her Owen had much the same posture. She opened her mouth to shout something to Owen when the storm suddenly disappeared and they both stumbled out onto land coated by only an inch of snow.

"What the fuck?" Owen exclaimed. Gwen looked around them. The house stood in front, glittering in the meager light, coated lightly in snow and ice. She smiled at this unexpected show of beauty. They didn't see enough beauty in their line of work. . When she turned, she discovered a wall of snow behind them, obscuring the outside world.

"It's literally the center of the storm. Like the eye of a hurricane." She reached out and gingerly stuck her gloved hand into the swirling wall. When she drew it back out, she held a handful of snow. "Weird." She tossed the clump of snow at Owen.

Owen ducked and snorted. "Torchwood," he replied. Stamping his feet, he wrapped his arms around himself. "Still bloody cold though. Can we get inside?"

She nodded, feeling the cold herself and headed for the front door. The board that once blocked it now hung at an angle across the opening, still nailed on in places, but now allowing entrance. They would have to crawl through.

Owen gestured for Gwen to go first under the pretense of holding the board further up for her. She suspected, though, that he really just wanted to watch her arse as she crawled through.

Once inside, she brushed herself off and flicked on her torch. Owen followed a moment later and did the same.

"What a dump," he muttered, shining his light over the room.

"It must have been nice once." Gwen walked to the doorway across the room. On the other side lay a kitchen dusty and moldy from disuse. She saw no indication the boy had ever spent much time in there, unlike the lounge, which had been littered with sweets wrappers and other bits of refuse. "Kitchen," she called back to Owen.

He had pulled out the scanner Toshiko had given them. After a few moments of waving it around the room, he made a noise of frustration. "This is useless."

Gwen joined him, peering at the scanner. "No alien tech here?"

He gave a sharp shake of his head. "Just the opposite. This place is loaded with alien tech."

"How're we supposed to know what we're looking for them?" She shone her torch over the room again. With a sigh, she headed for the stairs. "I guess I'll start looking upstairs."

"Be careful. We don't know what condition this place is in," Owen called back.

Gwen nodded to herself and cautiously climbed the stairs. The bedrooms upstairs appeared as though their occupants had left suddenly. Dust and grime coated every surface. She opened drawers and wardrobes, having no real idea of what to look for. She assumed whatever the object was it would be doing something.

In the back of the house, Gwen found a room where the door wouldn't open. The handle turned, so it didn't seem to be locked, but the door wouldn't budge.

She put her shoulder against the door near the frame and pushed with all her strength. Gwen felt the door give the tiniest bit and pushed harder. This time it shifted and she heard a scraping noise inside the room. Encouraged, she gave one final shove. The door suddenly gave way and Gwen tumbled to the floor inside the room.


	5. Chapter 4

Owen rummaged through the drawers of a writing desk he found in the corner of the lounge. So far, he'd discovered nothing but old letters, greeting cards, and a small photo album. The pictures inside looked to be from late 1960s or early 1970s. He found nothing that looked to be of alien origin and decide to move on to the next room on the first floor.

The door swung open with a groan of rusty hinges to reveal a library. Floor to ceiling shelves still held books, now dusty and cobweb covered. He narrowed the setting on the scanner and ran it over the shelves. It didn't pick up anything and he moved to search the desk.

"Owen!"

Gwen's scream from above set him flying out of the library and up the stairs, his heart in his throat. A door at the end of the hall stood open. Owen ran full tilt down the hall and burst into the room, gun drawn. Gwen's eyes were huge as she pointed to the corner. "It's Geraint Jeffrys. He must have come in here to get away from something." She gestured at the now broken chair on the floor near the door. “That was under the door handle.”

The boy huddled in the corner of the room, knees pulled to his chest and arms wrapped around them, his eyes open but unseeing. A dark stain ran from under his hairline above his left temple down over his cheek. Owen dropped to his knees and pressed his fingers to the boy's neck. "He's dead."

"What's he holding?" She came around to kneel beside him.

Together, they pried a shoebox-size black box from the boy's arms. Several lights blinked seemingly at random on the top of it and a continuous scroll of symbols ran across the LED-like screen just above the lights.

Owen activated his comms. "Jack, we found the boy. He's dead. If I had to hazard a guess, I’d say from a combination of a blow to the head and exposure."

"See anythi- -at might be caus- this?" Jack's voice cut in and out because of interference from the storm.

Owen laughed sharply. "Sure. The whole bloody house. It's full of alien tech."

"Great," Jack replied wearily. "Any- specific that looks –ike it might-" The end of Jack's sentence disappeared in a crackle of static.

Gwen jumped in. "The boy was clinging to a blinking black box," she told Jack. "Looks promising."

"-ay. Bring- and the b- back. We c- sav-ge the house- You- drive ca—ful."

Owen rolled his eyes. "I will, Jack," he replied, but the connection had already disappeared. He tried to activate his comms again, but heard nothing. He turned toward the body. 

"We're gonna need a body bag and a containment unit," Gwen finally said.

Owen nodded. "You wanna go get 'em?" He didn't relish going back out into the storm. Gwen threw him a scathing look. "You'd rather stay in here with him?"

"Fine. But I'm not helping you put him in it." She jabbed a pointed finger at him before stalking out.

She returned nearly ten minutes later, carrying a neatly folded white parcel. "No containment units," she reported, tossing him the bag. Owen had taken the time she'd been gone to do a quick exam of Geraint's body and found the cut hidden under his hair on his forehead. He'd also laid out the body in preparation for putting in it the body bag.

"What?" Owen caught the bag and spread it on the floor next to the body. "There's always one in the SUV."

She shook her head. "I looked everywhere. Someone must have forgotten to put a new one in last time we used one. Who's turn was it to restock the SUV?"

"Obviously not Ianto. He never forgets." Owen maneuvered the boy's small body onto the bag, Gwen holding it open to help. He tried not to think too much about the size of the boy and how he barely filled the bag.

"It wasn't my turn," Gwen insisted. Thinking on it, Owen suspected it might have been his turn, but he didn’t mention it. "I'll bet it was Tosh," she continued. "She's been distracted by that new program lately."

"Right." He zipped up the bag and turned to Gwen. “You ready?”

She picked up the box, turning it over and looking at it. "It's quite a bit heavier than it looks."

Owen lifted the body bag. "So's he," he grunted and staggered out of the room, Gwen following behind.

The two of them maneuvered the bag through the opening in the door and carried it to the SUV. They lifted it into the boot and Gwen retrieved the box from the doorway. She tucked it into a corner of the boot so it wouldn't slide around and closed the hatch.

They climbed into the SUV. Gwen turned to Owen. "Do you think this is going to follow us home?"

"This hole?" She nodded. He shrugged. "It'd be nice. I hate driving in snow." 

He turned the heat on full blast and left the house grounds. Sure enough, Owen found himself driving down the road surrounded by snow, but in a generally clear circle of road. He grinned at Gwen. "You know, this isn't too bad. If it stays clear all the way to Cardiff for us, we should be back in no time." He let his speed come up just a bit. 

Gwen looked nervous. "Be careful, Owen. You don't know what the road's like underneath the snow." Just as she said this, Owen felt the SUV tires hit a patch of black ice on a bend in the road. The tires spun on the ice and the vehicle skidded severely. The last thing Owen had been aware of before everything went black had been Gwen's scream and the feeling of déjà vu as the SUV slid straight towards a large tree.


	6. Chapter 5

Owen opened his eyes and lifted his head. He looked around the SUV, gritting his teeth at the pain in his head. "Gwen?" He turned to look at her when there was no answer.

Gwen sat slumped in her seat. Her deflated airbag hung from the dashboard in front of her. Blood dripped slowly down the side of her face. He unbuckled his seat belt and turned in his seat, maneuvering himself closer to her. He checked her pulse. Relief flooded him when he felt it strong against his fingers. 

"Owen?" She groaned softly and opened one eye. "What happened?" Gwen moaned. She lifted a hand to her head and her fingers came away sticky with blood. 

He pulled her hand down to her side. "I hit a patch of ice and slid into a tree." Reaching into the back seat, he found his medic kit. One of the front pockets contained a pen torch and he retrieved it. "Look at me, sweetheart." He shone the light in her eyes, checking for concussion. "Tell me what hurts."

"My head." Her eyes drifted shut as he probed the area on the left side of her head. 

Owen nodded. "I know. It looks like just a scalp laceration. They always bleed like a bitch, even when they're not serious." He opened his medic kit and grabbed an antibiotic wipe to clean her cut. When he'd finished, he used two butterfly bandages to hold the wound closed. The cut could really use a few stitches. Unfortunately, there wasn't much else he could do in the SUV.

Gwen stayed quiet through the whole process and when he looked down, he saw that her eyes were closed. Owen gave her a little shake to wake her. "Gwen? Stay with me here." 

"Sorry, Owen. I‘m tired." Her eyes opened slowly. 

Owen nodded. He didn't feel so good himself and he wondered how long he'd been unconscious after the accident. He closed his eyes for a moment, taking stock of his own injuries. Sore neck and a headache, but he wasn’t bleeding, so he didn’t think he had hit his head, at least not too hard. A cold chill ran over him and he shivered violently for a moment. "We need to get in the back." The temperature in the SUV had dropped dramatically. They needed to get wrapped up and combine body heat before hypothermia set in.

"What?" She focused on him. She had begun to shiver.

“We need to conserve body heat. It’s going to get really cold in here.” Owen climbed into the back, ignoring the swirling feeling that came over him and put his kit on the floor. He found the blankets they kept in the emergency kit in the boot and set about making a nest for he and Gwen to keep warm in. "All right, Gwen. Let's get you bundled up." 

Gwen had been staring fuzzily out the cracked front windscreen. When he called her name, she turned her head slowly. Owen unbuckled her seatbelt and helped her move slowly back to the rear seats.

"Owen, how're we going to get out of here?" she asked as he wrapped one of the blankets securely around her shoulders.

"I'm going to call Jack and he'll come get us." Owen pulled out his mobile and dialed the Hub. He only had one bar of reception and the call didn't connect. He quickly typed in a short text message and tried sending that, hoping one bar would be enough. The message seemed to go through and he tucked his phone away with a sigh of relief. Wrapping the other blanket around his shoulders, Owen pulled Gwen's body against his to share warmth. He rearranged her blanket over them both. 

"Did you get them?" Gwen asked sleepily, her head against his chest.

"No. I was able to send a text, though." Just as he said that, his phone beeped and he had to dig it out. A short reply to his message, "on our way," was easily the best thing he'd seen all day.

Gwen lifted her head. "What's it say?"

He gathered her closer, wrapping his arms around her tightly. "They're coming." He didn't give voice to his second thought. _I just hope it's soon enough._

***

"Jack!" Toshiko shouted. Jack watched her race up the stairs to his office. 

"What's wrong?" he asked, alarmed. She shoved a mobile phone into his hand and he read the text message on the screen. Owen and Gwen had been in an accident and needed help. "God," he breathed. He quickly turned to Toshiko. "Find them. We need to know where the SUV is."

She nodded and ran from the office. He touched his earpiece. "Ianto? We've got an emergency."

 _"What's wrong?"_ The lyrical Welsh accent soothed Jack just a little.

"Gwen and Owen have been in an accident. We need to go find them." He grabbed his greatcoat off the coat stand in the corner and headed down to Toshiko's workstation. "We'll have to take your Jeep."

_"I'll meet you in the garage then."_

"All right. And Ianto? Dress warmly." He smiled grimly at Toshiko. "What've you got for me, Tosh?"

She shook her head. "Whatever is causing the interference with the comms outside the Hub is also keeping me from using the GPS to locate the SUV. I'll have to use the weather satellites and monitor the storm centre, which'll take longer and we don't have the time. Jack, they're hurt," she finished, obviously upset. 

Jack put hands on her shoulders. "Shh, Tosh. Calm down. You can do this." He looked her straight in the eyes. "Ianto and I will head towards Efail Isaf. You keep texting us when you have more information. We will find them," he reassured her.

She nodded and turned back to her computers. Jack shrugged on his coat and ran for the garage.

Ianto had already started the Jeep and sat in the passenger side. He had his mobile out and typed rapidly on the tiny keyboard. "Sending a text to Owen," he said without looking up when Jack climbed in.

"Let me know if you get a response." He put the Jeep in gear and pulled out of the parking spot. He headed for the motorway, driving more carefully than he had in a long time. 

Ianto's mobile chirruped and he looked down. Jack threw a sidelong glance at him, waiting impatiently to hear the news. "It's Tosh. She said the storm centre has moved from Efail Isaf. It's about 10 kilometers southeast of the town. She also said she's going to try the comms again, because it took her three tries to send this text."

Jack nodded. "That's where we'll head then."

They fell silent as Jack drove agonizingly slowly through the deep snow, mindful of the slick road surface underneath. More than once, he felt the Jeep loose traction, but was able to keep the vehicle under control.

Jack's earpiece beeped and he activated the comms. "Tosh! Tell me you have good news."

 _"Jack, -ou wan- take the A4054 –t tow-d B4262. Th- -orm cen-r is."_ Her soft voice kept breaking up as she read off the directions.

"Did you get that?" He looked at Ianto and found the young man tracing the route on a map. Ianto nodded.

Toshiko continued, _"—Main Road."_

"How far once we get on Heol Goch?" Ianto interrupted her.

 _"Can't --. Ma- - kilometer."_ They heard Toshiko curse. _"-ack, the system – froze."_

"Tosh, are you all right?" Jack asked. His knuckles had turned white gripping the steering wheel and he forced himself to relax.

 _"Goin- reb-t. Comms'll –e down. Jac-, look – place – sn- -- worse than t- -surr- area,"_ Toshiko told them and then she was gone.

"Worse snow than surrounding area?" Jack grumbled. "How the hell does one tell worse snowfall from worser snowfall?" He carefully maneuvered the Jeep around the remnants of an accident that had not yet been cleaned up. "And why the hell did someone just leave this scene without cleaning it up? Someone might get in another accident here!"

Ianto put a hand on Jack's arm. "Jack, calm down. We're going to find them and they'll be fine."

Jack took a deep breath and then another, willing himself to do what Ianto asked. He took one hand off the wheel long enough to squeeze Ianto's hand reassuringly. "Thanks, Ianto."

He nodded. Looking down at his map, he pointed to an upcoming exit. "This is the exit for A4054."

Jack followed Ianto's directions through two roundabouts and finally onto a small country road. He slowed way down, scanning the sides of the road for any signs of an accident or anomalies in the snow. The area surrounding them became heavily wooded and what meager light there was had trouble penetrating the canopy of branches laden down with snow.

"Jack, what if they're not near the road?" Ianto asked, horrified. 

Jack shook his head sharply. "We'll find them. There had to be some indication of an accident and we will find them." _Hadn't Ianto just reassured him of the same thing?_ Jack thought. They were all on edge at the idea of possibly losing two teammates. This team was so close knit, Jack didn't know what that would do to the remaining team members and he hoped it'd be a long time before he had to find out.

The Jeep crept past the line of trees, both men's eyes scanning the sides of the road for any sign of the SUV. Everything looked the same to Jack, just more blinding whiteness and—what was that?

"There!" Ianto shouted at the same moment, pointing to the solider looking white mass on the side of the road. Jack stopped as carefully as he could, the back end of the Jeep fishtailing ever so slightly and backed up, pulling the Jeep off the road as much as he dared. His earpiece beeped just as he put the vehicle in park. 

_"Ja-? Hub- -ack online."_ Toshiko's soft voice sounded in his ear.

"Good to hear your voice, Tosh. Listen, I think we've found them. I'll call you back." Jack disconnected the comms. He leaped out of the Jeep as soon as it stopped and Ianto followed a moment later, taking the time to turn the heat up to high for their colleagues. 

"It's like Tosh said, a place where the snow is worse than the surrounding area." Ianto zipped his coat up the rest of the way and pulled the knit cap over his ears.

Jack turned to the solid white in front of him. Gingerly, he stuck his hand into the mass, not sure what to expect. When nothing happened, he took a deep breath and stepped forward.

Whatever he'd been expecting, finding an area generally clear of snow wasn't it. Ianto popped through the wall next to him with a similar surprised look. Jack plucked at his coat. "Come on, we can ogle weirdness later. Let's get them out." The front of the SUV had been buried in snow from the crash. It had been fortuitous that more snow hadn't piled up around them after the accident. 

"Can you get in?" Ianto shouted to Jack, who had been trying to open one of the passenger side doors. The SUV had a thin coating of frost and ice covering it. This meant the doors were frozen shut and simply tugging wasn't going to get them inside.

Jack shook his head. "I need something to pry it open with."

Ianto disappeared through the wall. A moment later, he returned and tossed a crowbar at Jack.

Jack shoved the crowbar between the iced over door and the frame and pushed. Ianto stepped up behind him and added his strength and the door popped open with a crack. The thin ice fell to the ground in a tinkling shower. Jack tore the door away from the SUV and scrambled inside. Owen and Gwen had curled up together, blankets wrapped tightly around them. "Owen? Gwen?" He got no answer from either of them. "Shit." He touched his fingers to their throats, feeling for a pulse. They were alive, but barely.

A soft noise drew his attention to Gwen. Her eyes had opened and she focused briefly on him. "Jack?"

"Hey, Gwen." He started gently disentangling her from Owen, trying to keep them both covered as much as possible.

"You found us." Her words came out almost too soft for Jack to hear.

"Of course. Captain Jack and Ianto to the rescue," Jack laughed, helping Ianto gather her into his arms. "You'll be okay now." When Ianto had Gwen safely on her way to the warm Jeep, he turned to Owen. 

"Owen? Owen, wake up." He gave the younger man a gentle slap on the face. "Come on, Harper. Wake up." Even shouting at him got no response. He checked Owen's pulse again and found it weaker than before. "Shit, shit, shit. No, Owen, you are not going to die on me." Jack took Owen's face in his hands and leaned down, pressing his lips to Owen's cold ones. He closed his eyes and willed life into the dying man in his arms. Jack felt Owen begin to respond under him, the young man's mouth opening slightly. Jack let his tongue slip briefly into Owen's mouth, pushing the energy into him, until he felt hands on his shoulders and opened his eyes to find Owen looking back at him.

"Jesus, Harkness, you're like kissing a girl," Owen croaked out.

Jack laughed in relief. "Admit it, you've always been curious." He climbed out of the SUV, helping Owen out after him. He half carried Owen to Ianto's Jeep and bundled him into the back with Gwen. She turned into Owen as soon as he was settled, curling around him. "Ianto, get whatever equipment you can out of the SUV and we'll get these two back to the Hub." Jack shrugged out of his wool coat and spread it over them.

"The box," Gwen called weakly.

Jack turned to her. "What's that?"

"We found a box in Efail Isaf, blinking and stuff. It's in the back," Owen answered for her. 

He smiled at them comfortingly. "We'll get it." He closed the door and called to Ianto. "I think we're going to need a containment unit."

Ianto nodded, his arms laden with various bags from the SUV. "I've got one in my boot."

Jack found it and carried it back to the SUV. He slid the blinking black box into the unit and sealed it, the mini force field activating when it was closed. Checking for any other equipment, he carried what was left back to the Jeep. Ianto hit the locks for the SUV and climbed into his Jeep, Jack following him.

They looked back at their comrades curled together in the back seat. Owen looked tired, but his eyes were bright, a side effect of Jack's kiss. Gwen, however, looked much worse off. She had a dried streak of blood on the left side of her face. She was pale and ashen and her eyes were half-closed and unfocused.

Jack put the Jeep in gear and pulled away from the crash site. Then he noticed something. "Hey, the snow, it's slowing down."

Ianto looked out the window. The sky still had large angry grey clouds but the snowfall had slowed to mere flurries in the last few minutes. "Do you think it was the box?"

Jack nodded. "I'm beginning to think so." He pressed the button on his earpiece, hoping the interference would be gone too. "Tosh?" Her quiet voice answered his call and he silently cheered. "We've got 'em. Yeah, hypothermia. Make sure the infirmary's got warm saline IVs, heated blankets, the works. Okay. Oh, and Tosh, you'd better prep a working containment field too. I think we found the source of the storms. We'll be home soon."


	7. Chapter 6

Forty-five minutes later, Jack delivered the contained box to Toshiko and their injured teammates to the infirmary. Toshiko helped him and Ianto get Owen and Gwen into bed, attached to warm saline IV drips and well covered with blankets. Then she ran back up to work station and started working on the box.

Toshiko was in her element. She loved a puzzle to uncover, tech to figure out, languages to translate. This one looked particularly intriguing. It appeared to be an ordinary rectangular box of metal, except the blinking lights and the scrolling alien language on the top. She set up a larger, stronger containment field and moved the box into it before setting her computer to start analyzing it. 

According to one of her monitoring programs, the box emitted an ultra high frequency tone. It was something beyond the range of human hearing. The signal disappeared outside of the containment field and Jack had told her that the weather had improved when they put the box into containment. She opened a search program and set it to follow any remnants of the signal and see where it led.

Toshiko entered several keystrokes into the computer to start the translation program on the language scrolling across the screen and turned to peer at the contained box. It blinked steadily at her and she ran a handheld scanner over the front of the box. The computer beeped and she turned back to the monitor. The screen showed the inside of the box. It was full of mechanics.

Wondering if she would be able to dissect the thing, Toshiko went in search of her tools.

***

Someone was holding Gwen's hand and talking softly. The world felt fuzzy and warm, such a relief from the cold of the SUV.

"Her temp's coming up," a low, soft voice said.

"Good." A warm hand brushed against her forehead and she opened her eyes. Jack smiled at her, his blue eyes full of concern. "Hello there, beautiful." 

"Hi." Her throat felt dry and scratchy. Jack held up a cup of water with a straw so she could sip it. "Thanks. Where's Owen?"

"He's over there. Sleeping." Jack indicated a bed behind him with an incline of his head. "He's going to be okay. We were more worried about you."

She had turned her head to see Owen sleeping in a bed a few feet from hers. Ianto was looking at an ear-read thermometer and nodding. She looked back at Jack. "Why?"

"You weren't doing so well in the SUV on the way here. I thought we were going to lose you." He lifted her hand and pressed a kiss against her knuckles. "We had to run you though some scans to check you for head injury. Owen was afraid of concussion or something more serious. You do have a mild concussion, but no internal injuries, just hypothermia and some cuts and bruises."

She managed a weak smile. "Never going to leave."

Jack's smiled broadened. "Good."

Gwen let herself zone out for a few moments before remembering the artifact they'd pulled from the house with the body of the boy. "Did you get the box, Jack? Is it something important?" she rasped, her throat still dry.

Jack nodded, turning the full wattage of his smile on her. He helped her take another sip of water. "Oh, yeah. It took her almost two hours, but Tosh thinks she's figured out how it works. She's still working on translating the language on the front, though. The box is a signal to an alien ship. It's also emitting an ultra high frequency sound into the atmosphere that is, or was before we got it contained, causing the storm."

"That's why the storm got heavier when we drove away." She punctuated her sentence with a huge yawn. "Two hours? How long have we been back?"

"About four hours. Not including the hour it took us to get back." Jack brushed her fringe out of her eyes. “Go back to sleep, Gwen. I’ll wake you if we need you.” He pressed his lips against her forehead and Gwen let her eyes close.

Her eyes snapped open again. “Wait,” she called. “Rhys. He’ll be worried.”

Jack nodded. “I’ll call him.”

***

Jack lifted the receiver and slowly dialed the number. Rhys answered almost immediately.

_“Gwen?”_ The man sounded terrified.

Jack put on his most reassuring voice. “Rhys! It’s Jack Harkness, Gwen’s boss.”

_“Where is she? Is she all right? Did something happen?”_

“Gwen was out on a call and there was a car accident. She’s fine,” he said quickly, “mostly bumps and bruises.”

_“So why’re you calling me?”_ Anger crept into Rhys’s voice. _“If she’s fine.”_

“There was some mild hypothermia, so she’s going to stay the night here.”

_“Why didn’t you take her to the A &E?”_ he demanded.

Jack leaned back in his chair, feet up on the desk. “The hospitals are overwhelmed right now. We’ve got adequate medical facilities here and she’s being well cared for.” He didn’t mention they’d be more than adequate if their medic hadn’t been in the same accident. “She’s fine, Rhys, I promise.”

Rhys sighed. _“She’d better be, Harkness,”_ he growled and hung up. The unspoken threat made Jack feel a little better about Rhys. He hung up the phone and went to see what he could do about helping his team.

***

Gwen woke feeling much better. She glanced at the other bed, saw it was empty and wondered what time it was. 

“It’s almost five in the morning.” She turned to the doorway. Ianto came in with a smile, holding a tray. “Hungry?” 

“Yeah.” She pushed herself up, pulling the pillows behind her to prop herself up. “Where’s Owen?”

“He started complaining he was feeling better a couple hours ago and Jack was afraid he’d wake you up.” He set the tray on her lap. “He’s doing the autopsy on the boy.”

Ianto had brought her scrambled eggs, toast and a mug of tea. She tucked in with gusto, not realizing how hungry she was. “ ‘S good. Thanks.”

He nodded in acknowledgement. “I’m glad you’re all right. You had us scared.” He touched her hand.

“Thank you for rescuing us.” She offered him a piece of toast. “How’s Cardiff?”

“Slowly cleaning up.” He took it. “How’re you feeling?”

“Much better. When can I get out of here?” Gwen picked up her tea and took a sip.

Ianto picked up the tray. “I’ll send Owen in to take out your IV.”

“Thanks Ianto.” She leaned back against the pillows, staring at the ceiling.

Owen came in a few minutes later, dressed in jeans and a light blue striped jumper. His face looked pale and there were dark circles under his eyes. “How’re you feelin’, Gwen?”

“Tired, but much better.” She glanced at her IV meaningfully. “Like to be out of here though.”

Owen busied himself, checking her pupil reaction, listening to her breathing and heart before removing her IV. He made her wiggle her fingers and toes at him, before proclaiming, “You’re going to be fine. No damage from the head wound or the cold.” 

She swung her legs over the edge of the bed. Owen put a hand under her elbow to help her up. “Thanks,” she said. He smiled wryly. Gwen put her arms around him. “I’m glad you’re all right.” He hugged her back. 

“Me too.” He pressed a quick kiss against her forehead and pushed her gently away. “Go get changed. Jack found a couple of wooly jumpers for us. He put one in your locker.” He made a face and plucked the front of his jumper.

She laughed. “Hmm, just your style.” 

“Yeah, wait until you see yours.”


	8. Chapter 7

Jack saw Gwen appear from the direction of the showers dressed in jeans and the hot pink flowered jumper he’d found for her. “Feelin’ better then?” he called to her.

She nodded. “Anything I can do?”

“Why don’t you check in with Andy and see how they’re coping?” 

“Okay.” She flopped into her chair and swung around to her workstation, looking for her mobile.

Jack went to the kitchenette to refill his coffee. Ianto had left out a plate of pastries as well and he snagged one before heading down to the autopsy bay to check on Owen.

"The storm's started up again," Ianto called to him. "It's centered right over Cardiff this time."

Jack bounded up the stairs and skidded to a halt next to Toshiko’s workstation. "That box still in containment?"

She glanced at a monitor on her left. "Yeah." She stopped and looked closer. "But these readings aren't right." She rapidly hit the keys of her keyboard. "Energy's seeping though the field, even though it's on the max setting. This storm would be a lot worse if the box wasn't contained. I’ve been trying to find a way to shut it off, but there doesn’t seem to be one."

Jack turned to Toshiko. “I know how we can turn that off,” he told her. “You’re not going to like it.”

Toshiko turned and gave him a look. “What are you going to do?”

“We’ve got to turn it off.” He unbuttoned his holster and drew his sidearm. “Shut down the containment field.”

“Are you sure that’s going to work?” She looked at his antique firearm. 

He’d just opened his mouth to defend his beloved Webley, when Ianto held out his own, higher caliber, gun. “Might I offer this one? It might be best to get it on the first try.”

Jack took the gun with a nod. “Thanks, Ianto.” He looked at Toshiko, her hands poised over the keyboard, waiting for his signal. “Go,” he told her with nod. She struck a key and the containment field went down. As soon as it disappeared, Jack fired, emptying the clip in a matter of seconds. 

Toshiko watched the signal indicator on the computer. She frowned. “It didn't work. The signal's as strong as ever. It must be shielded.” She began typing furiously and Jack gave up on following her movements, waiting for her explain what she was doing.

A loud squawk drew his attention upward and he saw Myfanwy flying around in tight circles, obviously in distress. He looked over at Owen, who nodded.

"Signal must be bothering her. She didn't hear it when it was in the containment field." The doctor watched the pteradon become more and more stressed, coming dangerously close to bashing her head against the rocks. "Ianto, we're going to have to sedate her. I think she's going to hurt herself. Help me out?"

Ianto nodded. "I'll get the chocolate." He ran for the kitchenette.

"This is bad, Jack," Toshiko muttered after a few minutes.

Jack nodded, turning away from watching Owen and Ianto try to calm the large dinosaur. "Okay. Talk to me, Tosh."

"Not only am I picking up an outgoing signal, now I'm getting an incoming one as well." She pointed to a scroll on one of the monitors. "I think the box is communicating with whatever is up there."

"We've got to shut that thing down." Jack glared at the box, as if by doing so, he could shut it down.

"What about water? Could we short it out?" Gwen suggested, gesturing at the tidal pool at the base of the water tower.

Jack and Toshiko looked at each other. "It might work," she said hesitantly. 

Jack grabbed the box and heaved it into the pool. It landed with a bang and a shower of sparks. A moment later, the power went down in the Hub.

"Or it might short out the whole building," Toshiko finished wryly. 

"Damn it."

The emergency lighting came on a few seconds later and Jack surveyed the Hub. Owen and Ianto clung to one of the ledges near Myfanwy's cave, glaring at Jack. Toshiko grabbed a torch and was now headed for the emergency reset switch Jack'd had installed in one of the lower levels after the incident with the Cyberwoman. Gwen just looked at him, like she was trying desperately not to smile.

He pointed at her. "Don't start."

Myfanwy squawked again and tried to land near the rift manipulator. She didn't quite fit on the narrow platform and took off again. "Looks like water didn't kill the signal," Jack called up to Owen and Ianto.

"You think?" Owen shouted back. "You could help you know." He flattened himself against the wall as Myfanwy flew by him perilously close.

Ianto had climbed up the rest of the way to Myfanwy's cave and stood in the opening, waving the chocolate bar in her direction. "Come on, Miffy, come get the nice chocolate. Your favorite." He made some humming noises and 'mmm' sounds. The pteradon circled around to him and landed heavily on the ledge.

Owen had been climbing steadily toward the cave and just reached it when Myfanwy followed Ianto inside. Jack heard another loud squawk and Owen came hurrying out of the cave. This was followed by the sound of something heavy falling over. Ianto brushed himself off as he exited the cave and followed Owen back down to floor level.

"That wasn't so bad," Ianto said, straightening his tie.

Owen glared at him. "Yeah, she didn't try to eat you."

"Do you like it when people jab big needles into your neck?" Ianto said pointedly. Owen ignored him and flopped down in his chair. Ianto nodded towards the box, still sitting in the water. "Are you planning on leaving that there?"

Jack shook himself and smiled. "No. Sorry, I was thinking about when I hired you." He turned back to the water. "Anyone got a net?"

Turned out, the box had landed too far away to reach with a net. Jack pulled off his boots and socks, setting them aside before wading in to get the thing. The moment he touched the box, several thousand volts of electricity surged through him. He had the foresight to throw the box onto the closest walkway before everything went black.

***

"I hate it when he does shit like that!"

Hearing was the first sense to come back to Jack. Owen ranting was hard to miss. He took a deep breath and opened his eyes. 

The first thing he noticed was the lights were back on. Gwen and Ianto sat on the bank of the tidal pool next to him. They both looked relieved that he had woken and he gave them a reassuring smile. He let Ianto help him to his feet before stretching and working out the kinks that inevitably built up whenever he died.

"Sorry, kids. Didn't expect that." He looked down at his sodden clothes with a grimace. "A change of clothes is in order, I think." Jack looked around and noticed Toshiko absent from the group. "Tosh working on the box again?"

Ianto nodded. "It seems to be dead, but she's got it back in containment just in case." He followed Jack up to his office, waiting at the top of the hatch as Jack changed. "We're monitoring the incoming signal, which seems to have become stronger. Whatever is sending it is getting closer."

Jack finished buttoning up his shirt and tucked it in. He pulled a pair of red braces out of the wardrobe and put them on as well. He grabbed a pair of socks and looked around for his boots. "Ianto, do you have my boots?"

"Yes, sir." He looked up and saw Ianto dangling the boots from the laces. He grinned and climbed up the ladder barefoot. Ianto handed them to Jack and he sat at his desk to put them on.

"Jack?" Gwen called. He finished tying his boot and went out to see what she needed.

She sat at her own workstation, staring at the monitor. He came over to her, leaning close and read the alert on her screen. "Scans have picked up an alien presence outside."

Jack nodded. "I see that. Feel up to going out and saying hello?"

"As long as I have warm clothes." She got to her feet and went to get more winter clothes from the storage room.

“Owen,” he yelled towards the autopsy bay. “Go with Gwen and get something warm to wear. I want you outside with us.” Owen glared at Jack, but followed Gwen to the storage room.

“Good. Go get your coat.” He turned to Ianto. “Ianto, stay here and monitor the situation. We'll call if we need you." Jack shrugged into his coat. Gwen, Owen and Toshiko pulled on winter gear and loaded their weapons.


	9. Chapter 8

They rode the lift up to street level, the five of them squashed together. The wind nearly pushed them off the lift when they appeared on the plaza. It howled, swirling icy cold snow around them. They tumbled off the lift onto the Plasse and looked around. 

The Plasse was empty of people and covered with an untouched white blanket of snow. Jack turned and breathed in sharply. The water tower, normally a ripplely fall of water, had been coated by a sparkling sheet of ice, 21 meters tall. As it had frozen over, the water continued to cascade down it, creating layers and layers of ice, until it finally froze completely. The solid blueish tinged ice reminded him of another frozen planet, a lifetime ago, that one every bit as beautiful as what he looked at now.

"Where are they?" Gwen called over the wind. She huddled further into her borrowed parka. She peered around the empty Plasse, not seeing anything out of the ordinary. "I don't see anything!" she shouted at Jack.

He looked around, stopped and pointed in the directions of the Millennium Centre. The snow there seemed thicker, more solid than elsewhere. "There."

Toshiko glanced at her scanner. "They're all around us!" she shouted at them.

The snow swirled and coalesced directly in front of them. "What are you? What do you want from us?" Gwen shouted into the howling storm. Owen held his gun in his gloved hand, pointing uncertainly in the direction of the solid snow.

_We are The Eis. We have need of your planet._ The storm answered, words echoing in Jack's head. Gwen winced at the volume, doubling over. Owen fell to his knees, dropping his gun, his hands clamped to his ears. Toshiko staggered, almost dropping her scanner. 

"You can't have it," Jack shouted back. "Not one of my better lines," he muttered to Gwen, who struggled back to her feet.

_We will take the Earth. It will be made suitable. The snow grew thicker._

"Maybe you didn’t notice, but the planet's already occupied. So piss off," Jack shouted back, moving amongst his team, helping them up.

_You will freeze as we cool your planet. This will be the new Eis world._

***

He opened the alien identification program Toshiko had “borrowed” from UNIT and typed in EIS.

Ianto watched in alarm when first Gwen, then Owen fell to the ground. One of the alarms went off and he swung around to another monitor. The temperature gauge indicated that the temp on the Plasse had plummeted. He turned back to the other monitor and read the search results. It had just the information he needed.

Ianto jumped up and ran to the armory. His hand shook just a little as he punched in his access code. The doors opened and he yanked it open. What he needed should be in here, but he couldn't find it. He took a step back, hands on his hips, staring at the inventory, but not seeing what he needed. He ran a hand through his hair and took a deep breath, wracking his brain for where he'd seen it last.

The firing range! Jack had been testing it out last week and forgotten to put it back. Ianto set off at a dead run into the tunnels. Sure enough, he found what he needed on the table at the end of the range. He did a quick check that it still worked, because Jack was, after all, known to break things while playing with them. Then he hefted it up and ran for the emergency entrance.


	10. Chapter 9

Jack tried valiantly to stay on his feet and not show how the cold affected him. Gwen and Owen had already succumbed, and Tosh had stopped shivering, slowly sinking to the ground. The Eis no longer spoke to them. The snow beings stood watching, simply swirling icy wind and snow around them. He could only try to get his team onto the lift and into the Hub, if the mechanics were still working. Gwen first, since she had fallen first, as she still had not recovered from the accident the day before.

Jack forced his frozen limbs to move towards Gwen’s prone body. He had just reached her when a blast of flame burst through the air and the Eis shrieked. He dropped to the ground on top of her.

The Eis screamed again as another burst of flame hit them. When Jack lifted his head, he found Ianto holding a flamethrower.

Jack’s face split into a wide grin, teeth clattering together from the cold. “Ianto Jones, you’re my hero.” 

Ianto inclined his head slightly. “I do try, sir. Shall we get them inside?”

“Can you get Owen?” Jack helped Toshiko to her feet and carefully picked up Gwen. Ianto slung Owen over his shoulder and set the flamethrower at his feet on the lift.

Jack, Toshiko and Ianto stumbled over to the lift and, after some careful arrangement of their two unconscious teammates, descended into the Hub.

Toshiko staggered to her workstation and looked at the readouts for the Plasse. “They’re gone, Jack,” she called to him. “And the storm pattern had completely disappeared from the weather radar.”

“Good. Get yourself to the showers. Hot showers, warm clothes and hot coffee all around.” Jack still held Gwen. She stirred, turning her head into his neck. “When you’re done, contact police and city government. Tell them the crisis is over and clean up can begin.”

She nodded and disappeared in the direction of the showers.

Ianto reappeared from bringing Owen to the infirmary. He motioned for Jack to give him Gwen. “You should go take a hot shower yourself. Get warm.”

Jack raised an eyebrow. “Offering to join me?”

“I thought you wanted coffee for everyone?” Ianto asked wryly.

“Coffee doesn’t take that long to make, does it?” He put as much innuendo in the question as possible.

Ianto shot him a look before walking away. “You can’t rush perfection, sir.” 

Jack watched him go, admiring the view with a sigh. “I suppose you can’t,” he muttered and headed for the showers.


	11. Epilogue

Owen and Jack stood by a snow bank next to their new SUV, watching Gwen consoling the woman sobbing in her arms. She spoke in soft tones so they couldn’t hear the words. After a few more minutes, the woman went back inside and shut the door. Gwen turned and came down the walk. She sniffled and wiped at her eyes and Jack handed her a handkerchief.

“Thanks.” She wiped her eyes and nose, leaning into the arm Owen put around her. “I think she was relieved to finally know what happened to Geraint.”

“You’re a good woman, Gwen Cooper,” Jack told her, dropping a kiss on the top of her head. “This is why we need you.”

“Well, shall we go to the pub? Forget all this?” Owen spoke up, opening the rear SUV door for Gwen. She stared at him. “What? Case closed, thought you’d want to try and put it behind you.” He climbed into the front passenger’s seat. Gwen pulled her door shut.

Jack started the vehicle. “That doesn’t sound like a bad idea, Owen. Call Tosh. Tell her to get Ianto and meet us at the pub, and don’t take no for an answer from either of them. Tell them it’s an order. Team bonding time.” Jack met Gwen’s eyes in the mirror and he winked at her. She smiled back. After all, the planet had been saved, and another alien invasion averted.

Just another day at Torchwood.


End file.
